D'Angelo Blackwell
D'Angelo Blackwell (born July 24th, 1997) is an American professional wrestler and Hip Hop artist who is currently signed to Revolution Pro Wrestling, a promotion under the Global Wrestling Association (GWA) banner. Blackwell is best known for his work in various promotions across the independent scene, including an appearance in UK promotion RWK. Blackwell was first introduced to the media through his success as a musician, Blackwell began recording music at the age of 16 and continued to make it his main focus until he turned 18. Blackwell has released a Mixtape titled Mischief in the Wind, an EP titled "Unrelated Fiction" and is currently working on an unreleased album. Blackwell's EP received a large amount of fanfare, which introduced him to his current audience. Upon turning 18 Blackwell began training as a pro wrestler and switched his main focus towards wrestling. Blackwell's character is considered to be very similar to the man himself, acting very flamboyant, energetic and "out there". During his time as a professional wrestler, Blackwell has earnt himself the nickname "Modern Day Prince" due to his flamboyant style and wild acts. Blackwell has worked in various promotions during his short time as a wrestler, working across America and venturing out to the UK. Early Life D'Angelo Blackwell''' was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on July 24th, 1997. Blackwell dropped out of high school in Year 11 at the age of 17 to focus on his music career. Blackwell has stated in various interviews that he always felt like an outcast during his early life, attributing these times to his musical and wrestling success. "Uh, yeah I never like supported the norm I guess, I always felt outcasted from the social groups and I think that was because I wasn't afriad to express myself. I wore clothes that i guess people considered different, coloured my hair and expiermented with different sexes. I never felt... Uh, focused at school, I needed a creative outlet and music was my outlet.'' - D'Angelo Blackwell, 2015, Wonderland Magazine Blackwell continued releasing music consistently for two years, publishing a mixtape and an EP. In 2014, following the release of his EP, Blackwell garnered media attention, but despite the success, Blackwell quickly changed his course when he announced he would be placing his music on hold, while he trained to become a professional wrestler. Blackwell trained in various schools across the United States, before making his debut in 2016, after two years of training. Professional Wrestling Career '''Early Career Blackwell began attending various wrestling schools across the United States, training full time for two years. Blackwell put his full dedication towards wrestling, attending as many schools as he could, learning various different styles. Blackwell made his debut at a small show in Texas, in early 2016. Independent Scene (2016-Present) ''' Blackwell has competed for various small companies all across the United States, garnering experience and attention for his fast learning. Blackwell is still currently touring the indies, also showing up in bigger companies from time to time. Blackwell competes on a full schedule, dedicating his life to the sport as he continues to make his mark. '''Royal Wrestling Kingdom (2017) Destiny Royale Surprise Appearance (2017) On October 23rd, 2017 Blackwell appeared as a surprise entrant in the 2017 Destiny Royale at RWK: Path to Destiny 2017. The match is a 25 man over-the-top-rope battle royale, rewarding the winner with a shot at RWK's top prize, the RWK Imperial Championship at their flagship event of the year RWK: The Grand Coronation. Blackwell entered at number 19 and dished out a fair amount of offense before he came face to face with women wrestler Ivy Hale. Blackwell attempted to "flirt" with Hale, only for Hale to spit red mist into the face of Blackwell and eliminate him from the match. Global Wrestling Association (2018-Present) GWA Heritage Champion (2018-Present) After earning an opportunity at the GWA Heritage Championship on Vengeance Ignition Episode #19, Blackwell went on to defeat champion Guy Marshall and Ness Wall in a triple threat match at GWA Genesis 2018. Blackwell hit the Dark Age on Nessa Wall, followed by hitting a 450 splash on Guy Marshall and pinning him to be crowned new GWA Heritage Champion at GWA's first ever SuperShow event. Revolution Pro Wrestling (2017-Present) ''' '''Debut & The Prince of Rev Pro (2017) On November 30th, 2017 D’Angelo Blackwell announced via Twitter that he had signed a deal with [Pro Wrestling|[Revolution Pro Wrestling]], at the time Revolution was under the Championship Wrestling Coalition banner, it was their Italian expansion. In April 2018 Revolution along with three other promotions under the CWC banner (Empire, Liberty & Millennium) all split away from CWC and formed Global Wrestling Association (GWA) The four promotions now act under the GWA banner. On December 3rd, 2017 Rev Pro hosted their first wrestling show out of the Adriatic Arena in Pesaro, Italy. Due to finalizing prior engagements, completing his last few shows on the tour, Blackwell was unable to attend the first show, but he did film a pre-recorded video that took place after one of his shows. In the clip, Blackwell is seen dancing through the halls, still very energetic from his performance, until he reaches a room in which he sits down, smoking a cigarette and begins addressing the camera. Blackwell reveals he has signed a deal with Rev Pro and introduces himself as the Modern-Day Prince, revealing himself to be highly skilled and very pretty, Blackwell ends his speech by stating he joined Rev Pro because Italy has such a rich history and he believes he will be their new Prince. On December 5th, Rev Pro announced the card for the following week's show, revealing D’Angelo Blackwell will be making his debut in the main event against Porter Sweete and Thaddeus Stokes in a triple threat match, where the winner will be whoever scores the most pinfalls or submissions in a 15-minute time limit. Blackwell immediately took to Twitter to voice his approval, by stating it is rightfully so that he is featuring in the main event. During the week leading up to the show, Blackwell traded words with both Sweete and Stokes over twitter. On the December 10th episode of Rev Pro, Blackwell featured in an interview before his match. During the interview, Blackwell teased the audience by stating they are nothing compared to him, he is gorgeous and a world-class athlete, while they are slobs. Blackwell then addressed his opponents by stating Stokes didn’t even deserve to be in the main event due to losing on the first show and that Sweete will get a taste of losing for the first time. In the main event, D’Angelo Blackwell defeated Thaddeus Stokes and Porter Sweete, after garnering two pinfalls in comparison to Stokes and Sweetes one. Following the match, Blackwell began addressing the crowd, in what is now known as his public addressing. In his speech Blackwell announced this is the beginning of his kingdom and that the fans don’t have to accept him because they will always envy him, wanting to be him. Blackwell stated Stokes and Sweete were the first of many to be vanquished on his road towards gold; he then closed his speech out by stating ‘’The Prince of Rev Pro has arrived.’’ On the December 17th episode of Rev Pro, D’Angelo Blackwell defeated Bree Cummings, followed by hitting Cummings with the Dark Age. Following the match, Blackwell held his second public address, in the address Blackwell insulted the fans for booing him, stating they should be respecting their overseer, their king. Blackwell closed his speech out by stating Cummings, Stokes and Sweete are all only the beginning and that there will be many more bodies to fall on his path to making Rev Pro the most significant company in all of CWC. Feud with Madora Astoria & Revolution Championship Pursuits (2017-2018) Due to Christmas, Rev Pro revealed they would not be hosting a show during that week as they believe their talent should be at home with their families, resulting in Rev Pro moving the fourth episode to December 31st, 2017. On the December 31st episode of Rev Pro, Madora Astoria became the first person to defeat D’Angelo Blackwell. The two competitors had an all-out war, trading finishers and near falls. In the end, Blackwell fell to Madora’s finisher Fate of All Fools. Blackwell showed respect to Madora following the match. On the first episode of 2018, January 7th, D’Angelo Blackwell defeated Shelton Holt by count out. Blackwell brutalized Holt in the ring, followed by hitting the Dark Age outside the ring. Blackwell reentered the ring, sitting and waiting as the referee counted to 10. Following the match Blackwell was asked if he was chasing Madora, he replied by stating that he isn’t in a rush to get the loss back, but he would eventually. On the January 14th episode of Rev Pro, D’Angelo Blackwell was put into a team with Madora Astoria to face Awkward Inc (JD Wright and PJ Cooper) During the match Blackwell hit Dark Age on PJ Cooper, but as Blackwell was pinning PJ, Madora ran in and broke the pin up. Madora and Blackwell then faced off, followed by trading blows causing the match to end in a no contest. Security separated the two, prompting Gaia Vaccaro to come out and announce that Blackwell and Madora will be facing off again at Rev Pro’s first supershow Revolution Pro: Numero Uno. On January 21st Revolution presented their first super show, Numero Uno. D’Angelo Blackwell vs. Madora Astoria were scheduled to face off in a fan-voted match. The audience had the choice between an Inferno match, Last Man Standing match, Barb Wire match, and a regular match. The audience voted for an Inferno match (40%) On the night Gaia Vaccaro announced that this match would be for the inaugural Revolution Championship. Madora Astoria defeated D’Angelo Blackwell, following a low blow and Fate of the Fools. Madora then threw D’Angelo into the fire. Following the match, Rev Pro announced that multiple wrestlers would be receiving one-week medical suspensions, Blackwell being one of them. On the January 28th episode of Rev Pro, Blackwell still showed up despite his suspension. He gave a speech calling Madora out for not showing up to the show and calling her out for the low blow. Calling her a coward. On the February 4th episode of Rev Pro, D’Angelo Blackwell defeated Andy Garrison, following the Dark Age. On the February 11th episode of Rev Pro, D’Angelo Blackwell defeated Killian Sweete by count out. Madora Astoria was the referee of this match and she purposely counted slow when Blackwell went for a pin, causing issues between the two. Killian was able to hit his finisher on Blackwell during all the distraction, but when Madora counted fast he decided to leave the ring and head to the back, deciding he didn’t want to win that way. Following the end of the match, Blackwell and Madora faced off, almost coming to blows until security separated them. On the February 18th episode of Rev Pro, Redd Thunder defeated D’Angelo Blackwell. During the match, Daryl Walker tripped Blackwell, followed by holding his ankles down as Thunder hit his finisher pulverizing pancake and pinned Blackwell. Following the match, Blackwell was furious, heading backstage and yelling at everyone for not getting Walker removed from ringside. Later in the night, Blackwell attacked Madora Astoria, hitting her with the Revolution Championship, following her match. On the February 23rd, Rev Pro announced their weekly show will be called Renaissance. On the February 25th episode of Renaissance, D’Angelo Blackwell defeated Wade Manson, following Dark Age. Following the match, Blackwell called out Redd Thunder and Daryl Walker for a fight. Walker and Thunder came out and slowly began walking down to the ring, but before they could get into the ring Connor MacNamara came through the crowd and joined Blackwell’s side. Walker and Thunder jumped onto the apron but were interrupted again as Andy Garrison came out and said he was joining Thunder and Walker. Blackwell prepared for the three men but was hit in the back of the head by Connor. The four men then beat Blackwell down, banding together. Following the beatdown, the men announced they were called Macchina Da Guerra, which stands for War Machine. On the March 4th episode of Renaissance, D’Angelo Blackwell was scheduled to face Connor MacNamara, but Connor was suspended due to disrespecting one of Rev Pro’s authority figures Gian Vaccaro. Blackwell was informed of his opponent on the night of the show. Blackwell defeated Andy Garrison, following Dark Age, following the match, Blackwell was attacked by FM Young, a woman from another promotion. She took to Twitter to shine light on her actions, revealing she did it because Blackwell disrespected MacNamara. On March 6th Rev Pro announced their second super show, Pittura Infamante. The card revealed that D’Angelo Blackwell would be challenging Madora Astoria for the Revolution Championship. Following the announcement, Blackwell announced that he would be placing his career on the line. One of Rev Pro’s authority figures Gian Vaccaro denied this announcement and stated the board would vote on it. Later that week Gian announced that the board passed the decision, announcing that if Blackwell loses he will be fired from Rev Pro. The stipulation was once again chosen by the fans. The audience chooses a 30 Minute Iron Man match over a Regular match, Ladder match, and a Lumberjack match. On March 11th at Revolution: Pittura Infamante D’Angelo Blackwell defeated Madora Astoria to win the [Championship|[Revolution Championship]]. Blackwell won 2 falls to 1. Following the match, Blackwell thanked himself, disregarding the fans, and announced his intentions to venture to other promotions in order to represent Rev Pro and the championship. Revolution Champion & King of Rev Pro (2018) Revolution Pro took a week off, following their super show in order to allow their wrestlers some rest. On March 25th, 2018 Revolution Pro returned with their 13th episode of Renaissance. On the show D'Angelo Blackwell defeated Scarlett in the main event, retaining his Revolution Championship. Blackwell also appeared on The Noir Factor a talk show hosted by Alexander Noir. During the interview, Blackwell commented on his critics, success and the talent in Revolution Pro. On the April 1st, edition of Renaissance D’Angelo Blackwell & Darryl Walker defeated Molly O’Hatherine, FM Young, & Chase Robinson in a three on two handicap match. During the match, Blackwell attempted to tag in Walker on countless occasions but was denied. Blackwell wrestled majority of the math himself and ended it by hitting the Dark Age on FM Young. After he hit the move, Walker tagged himself in and made the pin. Following the match, Walker offered a handshake to D’Angelo, but rather than shaking his hand Blackwell walked past him, prompting Walker to attack him from behind. On the April 8th edition of Renaissance Blackwell defeated Warren Corbett, a member of the faction #TheSociety. Corbett made the off appearance in Revolution due to other members of his faction competing. Following the match, Blackwell once again called out the Revolution talent pool. He stated that next week he would be hosting an open challenge for anybody in the locker room. On the April 15th edition of Blackwell issued his open challenge and had it answered by Andrew Garrison. Halfway through the match, Joseph White made his way down to the ring to cheer on Blackwell. White has a bad history with Garrison and seems to be fond of Blackwell. In the end, Garrison caused the upset and defeated Blackwell after he hit the Cleveland Steamer for the win. Following the match, White entered the ring to help Blackwell up, but Blackwell lashed out and attacked White. Hitting the Dark Age and beating him down. On the April 23rd, episode of Renaissance Blackwell was getting food from catering with his girlfriend Serena when he was attacked by Joseph White. White pushed Blackwell into Serena knocking them both down, he then hit Blackwell with a lead pipe and tied him to a nearby water pipe with a zip tie. White then grabbed Serena and power bombed her through the catering table while Blackwell watched. He then fled the scene as Blackwell called for help. Later in the night, Blackwell defeated Darryl Walker after hitting him with the Dark Age. The match was controversial as Walker got his foot on the rope, but the referee missed it and counted the three. On the May 7th episode of Renaissance Blackwell defeated Joseph White after hitting the Dark Age. Following weeks of back and forth between the three it was announced that Blackwell would defend his Revolution Championship in a triple threat match against Andrew Garrison & Joseph White at Revolution’s next super show Guerra Totale. On May 14th Guerra Totale took place, and in the main event, Andrew Garrison defeated D’Angelo Blackwell & Joseph White to win the Revolution Championship. At the end of the match, Blackwell hit the Dark Age on Joseph White and was closing in on the win, only for Garrison to run in and hit a shining wizard on Blackwell, followed by locking in his submission move Macchina Lock (Anaconda Vise) on Blackwell. Blackwell was locked in the move for over a minute until he had to finally give in. GWA Heritage Champion & Various Feuds (2018-Present) On May 16th, 2018 [Pro Wrestling|[Revolution]] announced that they would be moving the company from Italy to Orlando, Florida, effective immediately. Blackwell was quoted during an interview with Skylar Rayner saying I do feel like Revolution is losing some of its aurae by leaving Italy, but in the end, we will still thrive in America and continue to put on great wrestling." After earning an opportunity at the GWA Heritage Championship on Vengeance Ignition Episode #19, Blackwell went on to defeat champion Guy Marshall and Ness Wall in a triple threat match at GWA Genesis 2018. Blackwell hit the Dark Age on Nessa Wall, followed by hitting a 450 splash on Guy Marshall and pinning him to be crowned new GWA Heritage Champion at GWA's first ever SuperShow event. '''Vengeance Pro Wrestling (2018)' Debut & GWA Heritage Championship Contention (2018) On May 12th, 2018 Vengeance Pro announced that a 6-person elimination gauntlet match would take place at the beginning of the show, with the winner competing against another competitor later in the night for a chance to be added to the triple threat match for GWA Heritage Championship, already involving champion Guy Marshall and challenger Nessa Wall. Guy Marshall is apart of the Vengeance roster, hence the reason they decide majority of the challenges for the GWA Heritage Championship. The other competitor that would face the winner of the gauntlet match was scheduled to be a handpicked wrestler from [Pro Wrestling|[Revolution Pro]]. Brit Kane won the gauntlet match and later in the night, D'Angelo Blackwell came out to the surprise of the audience. Blackwell grabbed the mic before the match began and stated that He was disappointed he lost the [Championship|[Revolution Championship]], but that he wasn't sulking, he was jumping back on the horse and winning more gold Blackwell defeated Kane following Dark Age. Blackwell is now scheduled to face champion Guy Marshall and Nessa Wall in a triple threat match at GWA Genesis on May 20th, 2018. New Japan Fighting Championship (2018 - Present) Signing and Debut (2018 - Present) ' On March 23rd, 2018, NJFC announced that Revolution Champion D'Angelo Blackwell had signed a guest contract with the promotion. NJFC announced that his first match would be against ''Mayhem Chris Madison at NJFC TAG-TEAM-TROPOLIS, taking place in April 2018. The event is spread across three nights, Blackwell will be competing on night three, April, 28th. Music '''Career beginnings and debut mixtape (2013) In 2013 at the age of 16, Blackwell released his first mixtape "Mischief in the Wind" the mixtape featured various different styles of rap, with a jazzy vibe. Blackwell sang his own hooks and produced his own beats, creating what he considers his ultimate "masterpiece" The mixtape garnered him fans from the alternative side of rap. "Uh, yeah it's my baby. I love that mixtape, I put all my heart, time, and soul into it and it paid off. I created such a nice vibe on it and I expressed everything in my mind... It just made me super happy." - D'Angelo Blackwell, 2015, Wonderland Magazine Unrelated Fiction EP (2013-2014) Following the release of Mischief in the Wind, Blackwell began interacting with his fanbase and loved the support, deciding to create more music right away. In 2014, Blackwell released an EP titled "Unrelated Fiction" Blackwell stated this EP is the prequel to his debut studio album. The EP garnered large media attention and introduced Blackwell to the world, songs such as Blue Clouds, Drippin Heart, and Blackmouth are considered the most successful songs. Blackwell still attends various music festivals during his time off and has stated that the studio album isn't far away. Strange Fiction (2018) Blackwell announced his debut studio album titled Strange Fiction via Twitter on February 1st, 2018. Blackwell released the album artwork, tracklist and a release date set for February 27th, 2018. Personal Life Blackwell is a heavy gamer and plays as much as he can during his free time, even streaming his games from twitch. , Blackwell cites Childish Gambino, Frank Ocean, Kanye West, The Smiths, The Wombats, Metallica, Prince, and Michael Jackson as major musical influences in his life. Blackwell has a close friendship with Ocean and Glover. Blackwell owns a home and studio in Corpus Christi, Texas. In Wrestling Finishing Moves * Dark Age (One-Handed Electric Chair Driver) 2016-Present Signature Moves * Brainbuster onto knee (unnamed) (2016-Present) Entrance Themes * Black Skinhead by Kanye West (2018-Present) * 'PRETTY' by Baro (2016-2018) Nicknames * Modern Day Prince * King of Rev Pro Championships and Accomplishments Global Wrestling Association * GWA Heritage Champion (1 time, current) Global Wrestling Association '(Revolution Pro Wrestling) ' * Revolution Pro Champion (1 time)